Your local contractor

Who are Bell Group?
Bell Group is a national provider of repairs and maintenance services to the Housing sector. They took over as the repairs and maintenance contract or for all schemes in the North East & North West from 1 October 2024.  

Bell Group bring  the essential skills and expertise in delivering repairs and maintenance along with the needed infrastructure and buying power to support Habinteg in delivering a more efficient and effective service for tenants.  
 
Why do we need a new repairs and maintenance contractor?
A review of our repairs and maintenance contractors and contracts - which considered tenant satisfaction, complaints and costs, as well as feedback from our Neighbourhood Team and Surveyors - found that we needed to bring on board new contractors, who could provide a more consistent, better quality service to tenants. Our aim is to improve our tenant s’ experience with the repairs service .  

Why did Bell Group win the tender?  
Our main objective was to provide a repairs service that would deliver better customer satisfaction, be more efficient and meet new regulatory requirements.  All contractors were reviewed on the quality as well as the cost of their service.  
 
Bell Group have the capacity and capability to deliver the required services across the North region at a fair cost. We completed benchmarking against their costs for their service and they are in line with national averages for the sector.  As a result, Bell Group has been offered the contract from 1 October 2024.  
 
Were tenants consulted about this change in contractor?  
A review carried out by our Tenant Scrutiny Panel produced 13 recommendations and new repairs guidelines that will drive greater efficiencies, improve tenant experience and support tenant priorities. Those priorities include shorter repair turnaround times over the course of the contract and better communication with tenants throughout the repairs’ journey.   
 
The Panel was involved throughout the tender process, which included contractor interviews in July 2024. Tenants also provided feedback from the scrutiny review of our repairs and maintenance work in September 2023.  
Tenants will continue to be involved through the shaping of the new services.   

Exactly what services will Bell Group provide?
Bell Group will provide a full range of repair and maintenance services which include s plumbing, electrical, plastering, carpentry , and component replacements such as kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors,  a s well as other maintenance activities.  
 
The majority of these works will be delivered directly by Bell Group. More specialist works, such as drainage works for example, will be delivered by sub-contractors managed directly by Bell Group.  

What is happening with my outstanding repairs?
Any repairs that are outstanding on 1 October will be redirected to Bell Group to complete. Please note that these works might be completed outside of our usual time frames. If that is the case, we will advise you. 

Will the way I report repairs change?
The way you report repairs will remain the same. All repairs must be logged with Habinteg’s Customer Services Team at Habinteg Direct on 0300 365 3100 in the first instance or via your My Habinteg portal, which is quick and easy to register for. You can also email direct@habinteg.org.uk. Outside office hours, please report emergency repairs to our out-of-hours service on 0345 601 3389.  

If report a new repair, will there be a delay until the backlog of repairs have been completed?
There might be some delay in completing certain types of repairs during the handover period, such as routine repairs. We are working hard to ensure any delay is kept to a minimum and we will let you know if a new repair is likely to be delayed, when you contact us.  

Will Bell Group use sub-contractors for any work?
Most of the work will be delivered by staff directly employed by Bell Group. However, there will be a need to use sub-contractors for specialist works. 

An operative attended my home last week advising I need a new shower screen door. When will I get it and who will be responsible for the replacement?
New shower screen doors will need to be ordered and a follow-on works appointment made. This will be delivered by Bell Group if the door is received from 1 October 2024. 

A repair was raised three weeks ago, and nobody has yet attended.  Will I have to wait another four weeks for the repair when the new contractor starts? 

Bell Group will attend to orders based on priority. There might be some delay in completing certain types of repairs during the first three months of the contract, such as routine repairs. And, while many jobs will be business as usual, some repairs may require parts to be ordered, which will mean a wait for those parts. We are working hard to ensure any delay is kept to a minimum and we will let you know if a repair is likely to be delayed.